Many thermoformable plastic materials lend themselves to use as lens replacements as long as the biocompatable aspects have been met. U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,717 to Michelson describes a method of implanting an artificial lens within an eye. The method includes providing a collapsible lens mold comprised of a transparent, flexible sheath which defines a cavity bounded by opposite anterior and posterior portions of the sheath. The sheath portions are each preformed so that the cavity has a predetermined lenticular shape when the cavity is filled with a flowable material. The mold further includes a tube connected to the sheath and communicating with the cavity for providing a conduit for a flowable material to be injected into the cavity. The mold is inserted in a collapsed condition into an eye so that the tube is accessible to a tool for injecting a flowable material into the cavity. Michelson, however, does not describe a method to form such a lens, or to incorporate a fill tube, which is the subject of the present invention.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method of fabricating intraocular lens along with a tube to inject a filling material.
Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages may be realized by the methods described herein and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.